Author Topic: Heat pads & vetbeds  (Read 2833 times)

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Offline Millie-moo2

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Heat pads & vetbeds
« on: November 23, 2016, 01:13:45 AM »
Hi all
My Millie is 4 weeks pregnant & I'm starting to get everything ready for whelping. I've been looking at heat pads & vet beds, has anyone got any recommendations as to which makes are best? Are heat lamps better than heat pads? Electric or microwaveable heat pads? So much choice.
As this is the first time for me (and Millie) I want to make sure I get everything perfect for my girl so may well make a pain of myself over the next few weeks, I apologise in advance!  ;)

Offline Jane S

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Re: Heat pads & vetbeds
« Reply #1 on: November 23, 2016, 09:07:06 AM »
I don't envy you having puppies due over Christmas but hopefully you have an experienced mentor on hand (perhaps the stud dog owner), you can call on as breeding a litter for the first time can be scary. You'll need to be prepared for puppies to arrive up to a week before the due date - many litters arrive several days before the official date so you could have pups arriving at a very inconvenient time if you have a family to look after over Christmas but hopefully you know that already and have made contingency plans!

Re heat pads v lamps, heat lamps are best used in outside kennels where there is no other heating and even then the problem is that they are fixed in position so the mother cannot move away if she gets too hot. For this reason, a heated pad is best - you will ideally need two, a small microwaveable one and a larger one (I use an electric one). The larger one will go in your whelping box and the small microwaveable one can be kept ready in a separate smaller box (in case you need to take pups to the vet and so you have somewhere to put pups while you clean up the main box - whelping is a messy business!)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SnuggleSafe-Microwave-Wireless-Heatpad-Fleece/dp/B0014LJKUA

http://www.petnap.co.uk/acatalog/pet-heat-pads.html
Jane

Offline Millie-moo2

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Re: Heat pads & vetbeds
« Reply #2 on: November 23, 2016, 06:45:00 PM »
Thank you so much Jane, that makes perfect sense. I'll get those ordered tonight.

I've got a choice of 4 people I can call if I need advice so that's under control. We've decided on a quiet (as quiet as it gets in this house) Christmas, just the 5 of us with no visitors, purely because if Millie doesn't have the pups early she'll just want lots of rest & wont get that if we have visitors. It's worked out well because hubby will be off work so we can do shifts with the pups through the night if need be.

Offline Jane S

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Re: Heat pads & vetbeds
« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2016, 08:51:35 AM »
That's good - sounds like you have everything sorted. Get lots of sleep beforehand - you won't get much once things start happening  ;)
Jane